The state's namesake submarine, the USS Hawaii, left the Naval Submarine Base at Groton, Conn., yesterday and is headed to its new home port of Pearl Harbor, the Navy said.

Hawaii, which bears the designation SSN 776, will be the first of at least three Virginia-class attack submarines to be based at Pearl Harbor.

The departure was made on a somber note: The death last week of a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the nuclear submarine was ruled a suicide, The Day in New London, Conn., reported.

The state's medical examiner said Machinist Mate 3rd Class John Carlos Rodriguez died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the newspaper.

Before the shooting early Friday morning, Rodriguez, of Doylestown, Pa., had been working on a pier at the base. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead that morning, according to reports.

"We grieve with the family," Rear Adm. Bruce E. Grooms, commander of Submarine Group Two, told The Day.

Grooms called the death an unfortunate incident.

"We are investigating what drove this," Grooms said. "We looked really closely at the climate aboard the submarine, and I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that the boat and the senior leadership are as good as it gets."

Officials have said the USS Hawaii is expected to arrive at Pearl Harbor in July in time to be part of statehood celebrations.

The approximately $2.5 billion submarine is capable of supporting a variety of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, actions involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.

Commissioned May 5, 2007, the 377-foot Hawaii was the third Virginia-class attack submarine built and first to be named after the Aloha State.

There are 16 Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines based at Pearl Harbor. The Hawaii will be followed by another Virginia-class sub, the Texas, in the fall.

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, has said the USS North Carolina also would be based at Pearl.

Pearl Harbor and Groton initially will be the home port for all new Virginia-class submarines, the Navy said.